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Still Tuning In

9 /10

(Definitely Spoilers here up to Episode 5) First of all, the title is sort of boring. The Stain? Strain? The Pain? Getting beyond that we start off w ...

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Very nice

8 /10

The pilot looked very promising and it just started getting better and better. The story is very nice and the effects are quite good for cable televi ...

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Scriptwriting failure that spirals downhill very fast

3 /10

Sometimes, there's a very subtle line between character actions and dialogue that succeeds in representing real human beings and character actions an ...

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Sometimes, there's a very subtle line between character actions and dialogue that succeeds in representing real human beings and character actions and dialogue that leaves us with a taste of utter disbelief and dumb-foundedness. This is particularly true in sci-fi, since characters are not only reacting to stimuli we've all had a chance to relate to, but they are also reacting to the alien, to which we can only guess upon the accurate and believable reaction.Here, that line isn't subtle. It has been hacked to pieces and moved out ten thousand kilometers to the ocean of screen writing absurdness. I can not write this without spoilers, since I can't figure out equivalent stupidity to describe upon you. Think of this: An angry, passive-aggressive (and sometimes actively aggressive) dad bashes in and hacks off the head of your new stepdad. You're 8 years old. Would your reaction be total meltdown into crying and panic or.. "Oh. Okay. Was he a vampire? Oo. Okay. (Literally never heard of this vampire thing before, but I'll accept this just the same. It's okay)" Yes, this actually happens.The show is riddled with ridiculous characters. Everyone seems hugely aggressive towards each other, friend or not. The characters are constantly jabbing at each other about anything imaginable. When creating the characters, I can imagine the writing team going through a list of "Ten most overused caricatures in fiction" and picking them all. You've your work-focused scientist dad who ignores his family. You've your stepdad who tries too hard to be an awesome dad and comes out as kind of a dick thanks to that. You've an old man who at first seems senile, but is actually the most knowledgeable character of them all. You've your Mexican gangster dude, who actually has quite high moral standards. You've a 20-something year old thrashy-looking chick, who wears too much make-up, has a London accent and is, apparently, a hacking genius capable of, literally, shutting down the whole Internet and cell phone networks.The show and its characterization steer not only to the unbelievable, but also to the annoying. Majority of time, if it wasn't bad enough to be kind of funny, it'd be just plain painful to watch.In the defense of the show, I must admit that the first few episodes were somewhat interesting and did manage to hook my curiosity enough to continue watching for a while. If you have the capability to ignore the hundreds of plot holes, ridiculous characters, poor dialogue and predictable personalities and plot movement, and can take the show with a lot of humor, the first half of the first season might just be worth it. Maybe watch the rest of the 1st season if you're curious enough, but you better be prepared for some extreme stupidity.

What happened!

2 /10

Well the first few episodes really showed promise and apart from a few bits of bad scripting really made me think we finally had a good show to watch ...

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Suspend all disbelief and be prepared for some horror character stupidity

7 /10

This is actually a very entertaining show, I enjoyed it and I enjoy pretty much anything del Toro is involved with. If you're looking for a horror-ce ...

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The Strainer

1 /10

At least the vampires are somewhat intelligent. All the non-vamps are so flawed and stupid (especially Em's son - what a spoiled, vindictive, ignoran ...

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Start out strong then fizzled

6 /10

I like Del Torro's work so I was anticipating this show for some time. It started off strong, good concept, different take on things & I enjoyed mayb ...

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I had to re-do my review --- Terrible, terrible, terrible!!!

3 /10

Update 2: 08/25/2015 Just finished about 4~5 episodes from season 2 yesterday. I can hardly describe my feeling now.I wasn't paying much attention to ...

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Update 2: 08/25/2015 Just finished about 4~5 episodes from season 2 yesterday. I can hardly describe my feeling now.I wasn't paying much attention to the show while I put it on the background and doing my own stuff. Same-o-Same-o bullshitting from Elph and Nora, and his ever-annoying brat son. Good thing Dutch and Fet are hooking up, though. A lot of "Oh-Really?" type of history from old Abraham. I wasn't too happy, but did not feel too disappointed either, given how bad it was from season 1. And then, I realized that, in that show, the world has become aware of the infestation of Vamps, all zombie type of thing. And the US government sent in 200 national guards. Wuuuaaaat? It's not an ALL-OUT WAR?!?! 200?!?! And people are still allowed to walk around the city like nothing happened? No curfew? Business still open, shops, restaurants and stuff? Nobody is trying to bolt out of that damn city??? And I turned off the TV. W.~T.~F.~ Seriously.---Original Review--- I gave this show a 7-star rating when i first reviewed it few weeks ago. Now with finale came and gone, I am compelled to delete my previous review, and now it gets a 3-star.It was somewhat enticing watching the pilot. 10 episodes later, ehhh, OK. Now, O~M~G! Did you shoot your screenwriter after episode 5? Main characters are from boring-and-annoying to deserve-to-be- hated. Story lines cannot be more inconsistent and ridiculous. More questions are brought up without ANY previous questions answered. And apparently, the entire world is so stupid in the show, that somehow I fee they do deserve to be annihilated by vamps.First of all, nobody explained HOW the master could kill, or infect, the entire passenger cabin in a split second, without any struggle of any sort. And, nobody explained WHY the seemly omnipotent (during night time at least) master had to use a human to drive him from airport to Manhattan, though he could jump and run like nobody can see him. Nobdy explained HOW did old Abraham know that the Master was trying to sneak into Manhattan, and nobody explained WHY destroying the coffin is an effective measure against the master.Oh, this Eldritch dude can just walk into a highly ranked federal official's office and throw her off balcony? Don't they have some kind of surveillance and security there? He thought nobody saw him or what? Are they trying to make fun of current White House security melt- down?Of course there are more than one "masters". I just wonder, why are they (three of them) strapped on a cargo dolly-cart kind of device (oh yeah, like Hannibal)? From earlier episodes, you see these hooded vamps killing infected people and you kinda know they are not in-sync with the then-only master. But I was just puzzled that why do they need to hire a human, when they seem to have seemingly very effective ways of killing other vamps.And yes somebody screwed up the internet and people in Manhattan cannot get online easily. But there are other people OUTSIDE of Manhattan. And there are HUNDREDS of people missing and nobody is suspicious of anything? Nobody questioned that? And you think NSA will just let the communications/internet down because it is ONLY Manhattan? In the last episode, the good guys launched a short hijacked TV broadcast alerting others about the invasion of vamps (which led to Eldritch throwing the official off building to preventing her from starting a quarantine of entire island). Maybe not a lot of people saw that when it was broadcasted. But come on! This entire world, if 1 out of 7 billion people saw that and recorded it, this short video will go viral 100 times bigger than Uncle Psy's Gangnam Style!!! There are so many small details in the entire season makes me want to jump into the TV and kick the crap out of the stupid and arrogant Eph. Nobody, OK, maybe except Fet, is likable in the show. I'd rather see the master prevail and put on a bloody killing spree on them. Better than watching these morons fighting each other like 2-year olds fighting over a chewing toy.The only reason I am still giving it a 3-star, is I want to see how the turf war goes between the Master and the Ninja-vamps going after him.

Starts as interesting homage to Bram Stoker's classic novel 'Dracula' - and is soon let down by mediocre writing

6 /10

* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day v ...

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* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day version of the ONE vampire story (in more than just the name) has not been among them. Although Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is one of the most famous and influential novels in English literature of the Victorian era, it took Mexican producer/director Guillermo Del Toro to finally attempt an update (or rather an "expansion" on the theme) for a modern audience of this beautiful, Gothic tale.It's probably meant more as an homage than a retelling (I haven't read Del Toro's novel 'The Strain' upon which this show is apparently based), but judging by what I've seen so far, there are many elements in the show's storyline (at least during the first episode) that remain surprisingly faithful to Stoker's novel, and at the beginning there's even the modern equivalent of the doomed ship 'Demeter'.Del Toro cleverly plays with the expectations of those who have read 'Dracula', and knowing the story doesn't really spoil anything. Quite on the contrary: it's even more fun to watch this show and suddenly recognize nearly exact lines from the Victorian novel, but spoken to a member of some Latino drug gang (who answers the elegant words with the very modern "F*** You!" and "S*** my D***!").The production values are - as was to be expected when the director of 'Hellboy' and 'Pacific Rim' is involved - pretty good. The visual effects and the make-up are quite OK also, but they do leave room for improvement. Alas, the writing and the acting leave a lot to be desired which was very unexpected in this day and age of great Television shows - especially when someone like Del Toro serves as a producer. Still, overall I'd say there's yet hope for this new show (IF the writing gets better). My vote so far: 6 stars out of 10.***UPDATE***: I've stopped watching after the 4th. episode - it still puzzles me how so many talented people couldn't come up with better writing. What a missed opportunity.Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/Favorite Low-Budget and B-movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

It started off interesting...and quickly degenerates into such stupidity you to actively hate the characters. All of them.

4 /10

I have always loved vampire stories, and so I was very intrigued by the premise, rather a cross between 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' meets 'Under ...

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I have always loved vampire stories, and so I was very intrigued by the premise, rather a cross between 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' meets 'Underworld'. This series never lived up to the hype, but it was interesting for the first little while. There has to be some suspension of disbelief involved (unless you believe in vampires?). What rapidly becomes apparent is that the logic chasm just keeps opening wider and wider. All of the main characters do things that are so incredibly stupid that you start to actively dislike them. I watched through to 13, in the vain hope it would get better. It doesn't. :P All shows have a main character doing something that ends up turning out not the way they want it. However, this show telegraphs it ahead of time, then expects us to be surprised when it happens? (As an example:) I just finished watching ep.12. The main characters decide to go to the main hive, where they know hundreds of the vampires will be. Then they are surprised there are so many there, and they expect the viewer to be surprised as well? The protagonists fail to protect their partners, parents, children, and each other AGAIN AND AGAIN. In New York (the most populous city in North America) hundreds if not thousands are infected and still it appears that not a single person has tried to leave or document what is going on. Where are the police? The FBI? the US National Guard? Other citizens? What about the REST of the CDC? (I may be wrong, I'm Canadian, but isn't it the National Guard who the US sends into disaster areas?)Synopsis of Characters: the Good: (4)Setrakian – I hope in real life David Bradley is in much better shape than his character, because you wonder how Setrakian stays upright at times. He has a suitably tragic background that is well written, believable and would actually be interesting. The consummate coward, his fears set all the wheels in motion. He is supposedly the main hunter but although his mind is willing, his flesh is weak. This character actually shows the most possibility of all, and I would be interested in his story if it wasn't for the rest of the idiots. Vasiliy – If I had to pick one character I liked, it would be Vasiliy. It is played extremely well by K. Durand. He is tough and capable, unfortunately following the idiots instead of leading them. Reggie – I liked how he was played as someone that was born into a system that he believed in. Slowly this belief erodes until he just walks away. I thought this would be great for him to come back on the protagonist side...but that (apparently?) doesn't happen. He just leaves, end of character. :Pthe Bad: (7)F – Supposedly a brilliant man who stumbles through scene after scene of ineptitude. His actions make little or no sense, even to himself, apparently. Nora – the most 'human' of the characters, is often confused and annoying. Eichorst – very transparently you are supposed to hate Eichorst, and this character does everything possible that 'evil' could do. Too bad it is so obvious that you just groan. Everything he plans goes off perfectly until he inexplicably fails at the end of the season. Big surprise. I think this character is well played by Jonathan Hyde but very poorly written. Gabriel – is a main character for the first bit but degenerates into a bit player in later episodes. Rather poorly written, he seems to die several times but always shows up later. Kelly – F's wife, she does stupid things until she gets taken. After this she shows up several times, seems to die several times, but always shows up later. Dutch - One woman brings down the Internet. Not just locally. But the whole world, apparently. And cell phones no longer work. Logic behind this? There is none. She is rude and arrogant. This has to be the worst written character of them all, except perhaps for.. Gus – Plays an Mexican who lives off of the streets, and can't seem to get out of his own way making stupid decision repeatedly until he is recruited to be humanity's champion by other vampires? (Why? How? Why would you or I care?) Yet another reason why ep.13 remains the worst I have seen so far (and I wasn't planning to watch further)And the Unfortunate: (2 (+every vampire.))Eldritch – At times pathetic, at times arrogant, he is sympathetic again until the last few episodes where we see a side of him that we have never seen before as a typical corporate head (arrogant, amoral, self-centred). The change actually reduces this character to just a generic stereotype. Zack – Kelly and F's child, Zack is at times very smart and mature and at other times totally stupid and in needs of constant home care or a straitjacket. In other words, a typical child. :)The end of season 1 brings ridiculous to a whole new low, and dropped my rating to 4. The master is located (they entirely gloss over how) and surprise, it is above ground in the middle of the day! (because vampires secretly want to be out during the day, even knowing it will destroy them) The main protagonist takes his son on the vampire hunt (to get the master, of all things!) and with a clip of handgun ammo and a nailgun they get all the way through the nest to the very end, and find that what they were most counting on doesn't work on the Master. (go figure, it would end the series (blissfully).I find TV is getting actively more generic all the time, but wouldn't it be nice if we found a series that actively engages our imaginations?

Really, seriously? !

1 /10

Wow, where has common sense gone? Why why why. Why do we keep getting these shows that start off promising, but for the love all goodness, they turn ...

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Wow, where has common sense gone? Why why why. Why do we keep getting these shows that start off promising, but for the love all goodness, they turn out to be stupid, make no sense dribble. The strain started out interesting. A new kind of twist on the vampire genre. Intelligent blood thirtsy worms. Once you get past the starting plot, the annoyance meter starts counting. This shows characters are some of the DUMBEST characters ever. Even starting in the first episode. So many stupid plot holes and absolutely make no sense plot lines. So many people doing stupid things it just gets to be to annoying. Early on I was yelling at TV, Please eat that stupid person. I wanted everyone to die, quickly, for being so stupid. Just a few stupid things: Why would the coroner pick up the beating, moving, diseased heart?! The stupid girl doctor Nora is at the autopsy of the pilot, she sees his anatomy has been drastically changed and he tries to eat them with abnormal tongue ...but then when they are at the little girl's house, she freaks out when the old guy chops her head off, stating stupid stuff like 'we heal our patients, WHAT!! These have to be the laziest vampires ever! There are hundreds of vamps in the sewers BUT THEY Don't COME OUT AT NIGHT, REALLY?! And the characters reactions to finally seeing the creatures is NO ONE CALLS ANYONE, NO COPS, NO FBI! They just walk around like nothing is happening. The surviors from the first episode, they start having symptoms but NONE of them calls a doctor? Why does an all powerful vampire have to hire thugs for simple errands? The coffin...The vampire could lift, carry the coffin but had to have it driven out? From what we see of how the vamps feed, it makes no sense how the vampire attacked all the passengers on the plane with no one noticing... I could go on and on, but what's the point. The screen play must have been written by 5 year olds because no intelligent grown person with common sense would have wrote/directed this stupid of a series.

Solid opening episode

8 /10

*****Minor spoilers*****Very intriguing show. But first, I have to get my gripes, however minuscule, out of the way. So here I go.A plane lands at an ...

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*****Minor spoilers*****Very intriguing show. But first, I have to get my gripes, however minuscule, out of the way. So here I go.A plane lands at an airport, carrying some type of demon/creature/vampire hybrid thing, bringing an evil presence into the United States. This creature makes an appearance right before the plane lands, and infects everyone on the plane. Once the plane is on the taxi way, two airport personnel go outside because something appears wrong with the plane. They get to this conclusion because their screen is telling them something is wrong and the pilots aren't answering the radio. Fair enough. Bishop, whom I'm assuming is the HMFIC in the terminal, and another guy, a nerdier than normal looking Where's Waldo air traffic controller, are standing underneath the plane when Waldo makes the statement "This looks so much bigger on the ground than on the screen." Really? A plane is actually bigger than it would appear on your 13 inch computer screen? Did he live in a third world country prior to getting his six figure job? "Like buildings with wings," he adds. What? Come on male Kathy Griffin look alike! This guy works at an airport and yet this is his first time seeing a plane up close?Anyway, Bishop says to Waldo, "Scramble all emergency vehicles. Contact Port Authority, FBI, TSA, and CDC. Nobody calls home, nobody shares the news. This is bad. This is real bad. We've got a dead airplane." I understand dialog is hard to write but this feeble attempt made me want to punch my roommate in the side of his head without warning.I feel as if one of the writer's let his teenage son write the opening ten minutes. But you will have to stomach that because the show does get significantly better. Granted, corny lines are spewed sparingly here and there but not enough to make me cringe like I did in the beginning.With all of that said, the remainder of the episode is well written and the characters feel right. The Strain pays attention to minor details, which I appreciate greatly. For example, the German vampire/creature/whatever the hell they are, actually uses his fingers the proper European way when counting; and that's using his thumb first. It's details like this that I pay attention to and makes a storyline feel genuine.If you are the type that likes apocalyptic event/viral outbreak themes, this show is definitely worth checking out. It's great to see vampires (if that's what they are supposed to be) depicted as scary creatures of the night instead of pale faced, 30 somethings portraying high school kids to get the teeny bopper CW fans to tune in.While the jury is still out for me on whether or not I will watch The Strain live on Sundays when it comes on TV, I will definitely DVR the remainder of the season at the very least. It's earned that much.

Gripping.

1 /10

I'm a fan of Guillermo Del Toro's work. I'm a fan of dark horror, and I'm a fan of all things Lovecraftian.This is Del Toro through and through. I we ...

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Homage to Bram Stoker's classic novel 'Dracula'

6 /10

* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day v ...

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* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day version of the ONE vampire story (in more than just the name) has not been among them. Although Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is one of the most famous and influential novels in English literature of the Victorian era, it took Mexican producer/director Guillermo Del Toro to finally attempt an update (or rather an "expansion" on the theme) for a modern audience of this beautiful, Gothic tale.It's probably meant more as an homage than a retelling (I haven't read Del Toro's novel 'The Strain' upon which this show is apparently based), but judging by what I've seen so far, there are at least some elements in the show's storyline that remain surprisingly faithful to Stoker's novel (the beginning of the first episode even has the modern equivalent of the doomed ship 'Demeter').Del Toro cleverly plays with the expectations of those who have read 'Dracula', and knowing the story doesn't really spoil anything. Quite on the contrary: it's even more fun to watch this show and suddenly recognize nearly exact lines from the Victorian novel, but spoken to a member of some Mexican drug gang (who answers the elegant words with the very modern "F*** You!" and "S*** my D***!").The production values are - as was to be expected with the director of 'Hellboy' and 'Pacific Rim' - very good. The visual effects and the make-up are great and promise a lot of what's still to come. Alas, the writing and the acting leave room for some improvement (as does the music, unfortunately), but overall I'd say we've got a fun new show to look forward to. My vote so far: 6 stars out of 10.***UPDATE***: I've stopped watching since - it still puzzles me how so many talented people couldn't come up with better writing. What a missed opportunity.Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Has potential, if the writing doesn't kill it.

7 /10

An interesting show with potential, but it's still too early for the jury to render a verdict. The cliché characters could be it's undoing. The write ...

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Terrible writing

10 /10

I had high hopes for this - the premise was interesting, and the trailer was engaging. DelToro produces a beautiful, polished product as always, but ...

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Well executed B-movie plot

5 /10

Watching this, I found myself cringing at the amount of corny clichés. Zombie-like mind-controlled people - check, omnipresent evil corporation - che ...

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Lot of wasted money

-/10

Disappointed that Del Toro was associated with this project. Big weaknesses in casting and plot.Unbelievable that the CDC would unload the cargo with ...

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Disappointed that Del Toro was associated with this project. Big weaknesses in casting and plot.Unbelievable that the CDC would unload the cargo without checking every piece first. What about the broken door from the cargo area? Alarms should be sounding with an ominous looking box that's not on the manifest. Above all, why would the vampire kill all the passengers and crew? Thereby exposing itself and risking annihilation. It was only a short transatlantic flight.The vampire's henchman has to recruit confederates to spirit the coffin out of the quarantine zone. Thereby increasing the risk of betrayal and detection.In Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula killed the crew (one by one) of the ship in order to feed. This was not necessary in this situation.The Setrakian character was okay but the CDC doctors are underwhelming. The villains have a generic maniac look.Looks like a lot of money went into production. However, what came out was a B-movie. Cliché characters and scenes.Not good.Update after episode 3. No improvement. Poor acting. Poor script. Poor pacing.Just noticed that Del Toro was the director for Blade 2 (2002). No wonder the vampires looked so familiar.Actually, I found Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth to be charming. Even Hell Boy was watchable because of the weird characters and energy. Don't understand what went wrong with this project.Update after Episode 5. Simply incredible. CDC scientists are faced with Nobel Prize game changer. They keep it quiet and destroy the evidence! Having killed three of the monsters as the monsters try to kill them, the good guys don't alert the world. There's over two hundred monsters out there killing people. Instead our heroes hope to FIND and kill the chief monster ALL by themselves!!!!Bottom Line: What makes a good horror story?There are cheap B movies where the humans are careless/stupid/venal. They deserve death! Screams and gore.There is a sophisticated understanding of horror where the humans lose despite doing their best (systems, hardware and skills). This is the basis for tragedy. Think of Sigourney Weaver's Alien trilogy.GDT fails monumentally in this project. Scientists work collaboratively. Faced with a problem, they sit down and think it through. Doing experiments to build a theory. Think of The Andromeda Strain (1971). Is it possible that the human race will fall because a few people behaved carelessly/stupidly? The destruction of the human race should be a setting for a great tragedy, not a B movie.

Silly Garbage

10 /10

Weak. Stupid. Godawful. Unintentionally preposterous.Pointless banal plot. Interchangeable one-dimensional characters. Jarring music. A bunch of clic ...

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Dissecting a dead Zerg in a lab is one thing; unleashing them on men is another.

6 /10

This pilot episode feels more like a movie. The good part is that it's competently executed and has good music. The bad part is that it's merely comp ...

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B Movies are Better

3 /10

Bad writing bad acting. The actors had no natural look. Looks like the forced the lines and had no feel for the story. The original Dracula has a bet ...

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Vampires and worms don't mix. Good story but terrible vampires.

7 /10

The world loves vampires right now and we can't get enough of this genre. The Strain adds a solid addition to the mix with good directing and acting. ...

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avoid

2 /10

Unbelievable. Acting and directing are so bad, I can't believe someone put their money into this project. I pity the actors, who put their mane on th ...

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absolutely ridiculous plot!

6 /10

Don't waste your time if you are expecting a rational story. OK, 10 lines of the text is killing me. Borrow sty you don't need to read then. By submi ...

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Is it Sunday yet??

9 /10

Like the title says, I can't wait till next Sunday to catch the next episode! And I'm sure will get the Blu-ray version when it's done.I really like ...

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Well done - and faithful to the novels!

9 /10

I read the trilogy (I recommend to all whether you watch the series or not - very good!) and while reading I couldn't help but imagine what a great t ...

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Kindergarten-level plot

10 /10

Unfortunately, another show that could've been decent has been ruined by horrific writing. To give a few examples- 1. A plane lands and goes black, n ...

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Homage to Bram Stoker's classic novel 'Dracula'

6 /10

* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day v ...

See Full Comment

* Some mild spoilers ahead *There has been no shortage of modern vampire stories lately, but surprisingly - at least to my knowledge - a modern day version of the ONE vampire story (in more than just the name) has not been among them. Although Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' is one of the most famous and influential novels in English literature of the Victorian era, it took Mexican producer/director Guillermo Del Toro to finally attempt an update (or rather an "expansion" on the theme) for a modern audience of this beautiful, Gothic tale.It's probably meant more as an homage than a retelling (I haven't read Del Toro's novel 'The Strain' upon which this show is apparently based), but judging by what I've seen so far, there are at least some elements in the show's storyline that remain surprisingly faithful to Stoker's novel (the beginning of the first episode even has the modern equivalent of the doomed ship 'Demeter').Del Toro cleverly plays with the expectations of those who have read 'Dracula', and knowing the story doesn't really spoil anything. Quite on the contrary: it's even more fun to watch this show and suddenly recognize nearly exact lines from the Victorian novel, but spoken to a member of some Mexican drug gang (who answers the elegant words with the very modern "F*** You!" and "S*** my D***!").The production values are - as was to be expected with the director of 'Hellboy' and 'Pacific Rim' - very good. The visual effects and the make-up are great and promise a lot of what's still to come. Alas, the writing and the acting leave room for some improvement (as does the music, unfortunately), but overall I'd say we've got a fun new show to look forward to. My vote so far: 6 stars out of 10.***UPDATE***: I've stopped watching since - it still puzzles me how so many talented people couldn't come up with better writing. What a missed opportunity.Favorite Films: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054200841/Lesser-known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls075552387/

Patiently waiting for next Sunday

9 /10

Soooo...As a huge fan of the GDT/Chuck Hogan trilogy, I was quite impressed with and enthralled by the pilot episode of The Strain. From what I have ...

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Well photographed, nice sets, art direction, but uneven character and plot

8 /10

I just appreciate somebody trying to do something well. Most of this show, I loved. The premise, the story, the pacing, the tension were well done. T ...

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Has potential, if the writing doesn't kill it.

7 /10

An interesting show with potential, but it's still too early for the jury to render a verdict. The cliché characters could be it's undoing. The write ...

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Oh for goodness sake, another descent into absurdity...

4 /10

There I was, watching what looked like a innovative slant on the Dracula myth when Wham! the plot and script descended into blandness and stupidity. ...

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If The Simpsons did horror...

5 /10

6 episodes in, and this isn't good.The Strain starts off as an interesting take on the vampire theme - imagine vampirism is a strain of a deadly viru ...

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6 episodes in, and this isn't good.The Strain starts off as an interesting take on the vampire theme - imagine vampirism is a strain of a deadly virus, which turns people into vampiric creatures; and "patient zero" is a malevolent creature aimed at spreading his sickness. Mix in some modern-day 'heroes' in the form of a CDC response team, and add the wisdom of an old protagonist of the chief bad guy, with a sprinkling of sinister bad guys lurking in shadows.However, this initial interesting premise is let down in a variety of ways. We have a number of clichéd characters (would you believe the hero is an ex-drunk in mid custody battle for his kid? And his ex now has a slimy corporate boyfriend ... well that's not very common); our hero has a young female colleague with the hots for him; and a former hobbit who is in the pay of the bad guys, cos his wife has cancer, and they might be able to help him. So that's a check for characters-we've- seen-before.Then would you believe that the hero's boss is a pen-pushing ass, who when confronted with evidence of the viral outbreak would prefer to hush it up, rather than ... well, I'm not quite sure what his motivation is for this bizarre stance. But either way, when he sees a video of a vampire attack on hero-doc, he decides to send the FBI after the doc, rather than alert the authorities. Come on ...Apart from the collection of recycled characters, the biggest problem is that this vampiric virus spreads and infects dozens, hundreds of people, without anyone appearing to notice. As though every week the world is reset again. Just like The Simpsons. For example:- An infected rock star kills a doctor. Yet his assistant hires someone to "clean up the mess", then we never hear from her again.- As early as episode 3 vampires attack a hospital, killing several people (or turning them into vampires - it's a bit hit and miss, and not sure how it works as a long-term plan for the bad guys anyway). The next day, no mention of it anywhere.- Guy arrested for killing a vampire - no-one says "hey, have you seen the body of the dude he just killed?"- City morgue wiped out by vampires ... not a word mentioned.There's also an embarrassingly bad sequence with hero arrested and interrogated by the stupidest, most 2-dimensional FBI agents you're ever likely to see (yeah ... they don't buy his video of a vampire being killed either), when the only evidence the FBI has for chasing the hero is a clip of video showing hero and pal dragging a vampire corpse. For some reason they're only after him, and not his pal who is free to wonder the city as and when.We even have a scene where hero-doc returns to his old house to tell his wife and child to get out of Dodge - but slimy new boyfriend sells him out to the feds. So it's not only re-hashed characters, but re-hashed scenes. 'Mom' then sends son off to school ... that's what I'd do if a CDC doctor told me there was a deadly virus and I had to leave town pronto.Why watch it? Well, it *really* is mindless entertainment, sometimes painful to watch, but it's nicely shot, and thankfully a short season. Also David Bradley is much the best of the cast, and worth watching - throwing himself into the Van Helsing role with gusto.When so many good programmes are dropped after 1 season, it's a little sad to hear this has been renewed for a 2nd. There has to be better in this genre out there, surely?***Update***After 10 episodes things have slightly improved. Reasons:- there are factions in the vampire fraternity;- the various good-guys have now met up to form their 'fellowship';- it's decently unsentimental (people die ... people you think won't);So, enough to have an interest in Season 2; but they can't persist with the "authorities don't know" line, as we've had cops killed on duty, schools attacked, government agents killed. All things that would bring national agents to the party. Just cos the internet is down wouldn't end communications (landlines; short-wave; fax; satellite; etc.)

Scary AF, But Interesting Storyline

8 /10

The Strain after the first episode has definitely persuaded me to watch the next episode with it's frightening but complex storyline and thrilling pa ...

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Strain is a strain to watch anymore.

4 /10

I have read the books and they are nothing special but are alright but sadly the TV series is going downhill at a rate of knots.The latest episode ha ...

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Includes Spoiler

ferhatcoskunsu

simply amazing till the end, highly recommend it, great quality serie.

prymetyme

Quinlan's gunfu is amazing.

Nibhuru

Great ending

OGCodetraumalady

I really do love how the show ended...mostly shows that end give you an unsatisfying ending..this one did not disappoint. A very good end to an excellent show...sorry to see it go but it was time.

gman1270

Thought it was a good show. Kind of sad to see it has ended now

KSOLO

good series well done

WTF? season 4 is like, sooo gory, man. Damn.

nevertheless

i like the books but this is just really bad

claymore092

I never knew Del Toro did Blade 2, now I know where the idea of these vampires came from.

ano20xx

Let monsters be monsters! Thank you, very refreshing show after all this teeny-good-looking vampire who falls in love with the beauty! Meh.. this is the real thing! :)

Kitzune

Wasn´t expecting much, but .... positive surprised. Good! :)

Latino guy come from a blood movie it seems. Everyone's other enemies speaks very proper and cordially. Not a horror fan nor longer, but the creepers would keep my lights on 10 years ago.

pamskibniewska

really good

smifster30

This show is awesome i read the books and really enjoyed them and the transfer to tv is brilliantly executed keep up the good work guys.

magda123

I am halfway tnrough season 2 and I have been glued to every episode! When I saw Guillermo Del Toro listed among directors (he of Pan's Labyrinth fame), I knew the FX would be excellent, and I wasn't disappointed! In addition, the plot is gripping and believable, the main characters are convincing, each with intriguing background history...plus there's enough gore to satiate that apocalyptic sentiment! Enjoy!!

qofthedamnd

not your everyday run of the mill vampire saga ... great mixing of characters and story lines... love it!!!

catlady66

i agree with you travis i love this version of vampires it is supposed to have at least 5 i think seasons i read it some were but knowing our luck it will get axed i am sick of it happening to great shows like this i love it great show if havent watched it yet wth u waiting for

TravisFishEggs

I will be absolutely heart-broken should this show ever get cancelled. I love this version of vampire because it is far more terrifying than any other vampire I've ever seen. This show captures the very essence that makes vampires creatures of the night. And the storyline is one that is ancient and rich with tales to be told as the show progresses. Get past the first episode, which drags it's feet a little, and you will quickly become captivated.

Bambi

1st episode alright , I'll see if next ones are better ;)

th3lotus

I think some people judge this series a little too harshly possibly because they prefer sparkly vegan vampires or the busty babes from the bram stoker stories Del toro shows that if vampires did exist that this is what they would be like no something from dracula dead and loving it I think this is a great series I love how this has been written and hope this continues for a while also the little hints to fringe was cool If you like a good series that is gripping and on the edge of your seat ent